Ruggers Blank Brown, Stay Unbeaten

Despite a few broken and missing parts, the machine called the Harvard rugby club keeps rolling.

With three regulars out and two playing new positions, the Crimson lacked its usual precision, but held on nevertheless to defeat Brown, 9-0, in a scrappy, defensive battle Saturday afternoon at Soldiers Field.

The victory, the ruggers' seventh straight this season, avenges Harvard's loss to Brown in last spring's Ivy Tournament.

With cold winds making ball handling extremely difficult, neither team effectively controlled the ball for most of the game.

"We lacked unity because of the changes in the forward line," captain Keith Oberg said after the game. The weakened Crimson line could not push the ball cleanly back to new scrum half Tim Endicott to start the unusually potent attack.

Yet the ruggers frustrated the Bruin attack with solid tackling, timely ruck wins, and a strong kicking game.

At moments, Harvard displayed its brillance. Midway through the first half, following a ruck deep in the Brown zone, leading scorer Charlie Bott lofted a short punt to the Bruin endline and raced after it with wing John Dorgan.

When the Brown fullback bobbled the ball, Bott and Dorgan pounced on it in the endzone. Bott was credited with the try, only Harvard's second in three home games. Bott's conversion made the score 6-0.

Ten minutes into the second half, the Brown backs combined quick passing and explosive running down the sideline to penetrate the Crimson backfield and almost tally a try. But a forward lateral penalty nullified the score.

Rising

The Bruins seemed psyched up after that drive, but the Crimson rose to the challenge. Despite notching only a 35-yd. Bott field goal with 15 minutes remaining, the ruggers dominated the rest of the game.

Twice, on up-and-under kicks by Bott and Ed Thompkins, Harvard threatened within five yds. of the Brwon endline. THE NOTEBOOK: Regular scrum half Oberg returned to his old hooker position to replace the injured Rick Kief. Kief, who bruised his knee at wrestling practice, should be back in action next week. Former club president Jim Tovey filled in solidly for vacationing prop Bo Wilster-man. The squad missed "Doc" Halliday at second row (especially on lineouts) out with a hematoma on his knee.